Discouraged after an unsuccessful day of hunting, a hungry Wolf came upon a well-fed Mastiff. He could see that the Dog was having a better time of it than he was and he inquired what the Dog had to do to stay so well fed. "very little," said the Dog. "Just drive away beggars, guard the house, show fondness to the Master, be submissive to the rest of the family and you are well fed and warmly lodged." The Wolf thought this over carefully. He risked his own life almost daily, had to stay out in the worst of weather, and was never assured of his meals. He thought he would try another way of living. As they were going along together the Wolf saw a place around the Dog's neck where the hair had worn thin. He asked what this was and the Dog said it was nothing,"just the place where my collar and chain rub." The Wolf stopped short. "Chain?" he asked, "you mean you are not free to go where you choose?" "No," said the Dog, "but what does that mean?" "Much," answered the Wolf as he trotted off. "Much."
Aesop
* A Story of Two Wolves*
An old Cherokee is teaching his Grandson about life:
"A fight is going on inside me" he says to the boy. "It is a terrible fight and it is between two Wolves. One is evil- he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego." He continues," the other is good- he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith. The same fight is going on inside of you - and every other person, too."
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which Wolf will win?"
The old man simply replied, "The one you feed."
"Blessings"
The man whispered, " Creator, speak to me" and a meadowlark sang. But the man did not hear. So the man yelled "Creator speak to me!" And the thunder rolled across the sky. But the man did not listen. The man looked around and said, "Creator let me see you." And a star shined brightly. But the man did not notice. And the man shouted, "Creator show me a miracle!" And a life was born. But the man did not know. So the man cried out in despair, "Touch me Creator, and let me know you are here!" Whereupon, Creator reached down and touched the man. But the man brushed the butterfly away and walked on. Don't miss out on a blessing because it isn't packaged the way you expect.
"What do YOU hear?"
A Native American and his friend were in downtown New York City, walking near Times Square in Manhattan. It was during the noon lunch hour and the streets were filled with people. Cars were honking their horns, taxicabs were squealing around corners, sirens were wailing, and the sounds of the city were almost deafening. Suddenly, the Native American said, "I hear a cricket." His friend said, "What? You must be crazy. You couldn't possibly hear a cricket in all of this noise!" "No, I'm sure of it," the Native American said, "I heard a cricket." "That's crazy," said the friend. The Native American listened carefully for a moment, and then walked across the street to a big cement planter where some shrubs were growing. He looked into the bushes, beneath the branches, and sure enough, he located a small cricket. His friend was utterly amazed. "That's incredible," said his friend. "You must have superhuman ears!" "No," said the Native American. "My ears are no different from yours. It all depends on what you're listening for." "But that can't be!" said the friend. "I could never hear a cricket in this noise." "Yes, it's true," came the reply. "It depends on what is really important to you. Here, let me show you." He reached into his pocket, pulled out a few coins, and discreetly dropped them on the sidewalk. And then, with the noise of the crowded street still blaring in their ears, they noticed every head within twenty feet turn and look to see if the money that tinkled on the pavement was theirs. "See what I mean?" asked the Native American.
"It all depends on what's important to you."
"I am a Pagan"
"A wee child toddling in a wonder world, I prefer to their dogma my excursions into the natural gardens where the voice of the Great Spirit is heard in the twittering of birds, the rippling of mighty waters, and the sweet breathing of flowers. If this is Paganism, then at present, at least, I am a Pagan."
Zitkala-Sa - Lakota Sioux, 1876-1938
Mother Earth - Cree Teaching
Mother Earth teaches us to be human. She brings love to life and shares her gifts with us. In return for the gifts of our Mother, it is our responsibility as humans to care for all living beings living upon her.
The rock carries the wisdom of the ages and is known as the oldest teacher and is called, "Grandfather". From the rock we learn inner strength and faith. The rock is slow to move yet when the rock moves, the whole world pays attention.
The tree teaches us about honesty for the tree is able to move the nutrients from the roots to its uppermost branches. The sap moves through the tree just as we must learn to allow truth to move through us. For each human there is a tree that is just like you. If you are acting as though you carry the whole world upon your shoulders, you will see a tree that is bowed down. Some trees appear to be tall, straight and beautiful, yet that same tree may be rotten on the inside. Some people are like that. Crooked people will see crooked trees, just like them. We must strive to be tall, straight and honest and grounded with a good root system and to know that just as each tree is an individual and a member of a family, so are we.
Although it gets walked on, grass, keeps coming back. As humans we do that to one another, yet even when we get "walked upon" we must show kindness to ourselves and others and keep coming back. We also nurture, fertilize and care for the grass just as we must care for one another.. A blade of grass has two sides to it just as we, as humans have a smooth side and a rough side. We must recognize this and be kind to ourselves in order to smooth out the rough edges.
The animals give us the greatest gift of all and that is the lesson of sharing. They give up their lives so that we can live. In the old days, our ancestors would offer a prayer to the Creator and ask for an animal to feed the people. When a hunter connected with an animal, that was an indication the animal was ready to die. After the hunter killed the animal, it's heart was divided among the hunters and a piece of the heart was offered back to Mother Earth with a prayer of thanks. As humans we need to learn to share with one another and give thanks for the gifts of life shared with us.
The four teachings of faith, honesty, caring and sharing which come with the rock, the tree, the grasses and the animals keep us connected with our Mother Earth.
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Don't follow the path, go where there is no path and begin the trail. When you start a new trail equipped with courage, strength and conviction, the only thing that can stop you is YOU!
-Emerson
